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4 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. TOWNSEND, decd, G. P. SUMNER, admr. Knitting Machine for Manufacturing Fabric t for Mattresses, &c. No. 229,487. Patented June 29,1880.

".PETERS, PNOTO'UTNWER, WASHINGTON, B C

: 4 Sheets-Sheet' 2.

' M. TOWNSEND, de-od, G. P. SUMNER, admr. Knitting Machine for Manufacturing Fabric for Mattresses, &0.

No. 229,487. Patented June 29, 1880.

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t V ".FEYUS9PI'IOTD-LHHOGIWER, WASHINGTON. D C- I.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

M. TOWNSEND, deod, G. P. SUMNER, admr. .K'nitting Maohine far Manufacturing Fabric for Mattresses, 8x0.

No. 229,487. Patented June 29,1880.

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WITNESSES- 1NVENTEIP\ MFEI'LS, PHORLUTHOQRAPHER. WISHINGTON. u C.

' 4Sheets-Sheet 4.

M. TOWNSEND, decd, G. F. SUMNER, admr. Knitting Machine for Manufacturing Fabric A for Mattresses, &o.

No. 229,487. Patented June 29,1880.

1 W|TNE 55 E5 V lNVENTDR NPETERS. PNOTQUTNOGRAPNER. WASNMGTONv D 04 UNI ED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. SUMNER, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MATTHEW TOWNSEND, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES SUMNER, OF SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FABRIC FOR MATTRESSES, dc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,487, dated June 29, 1880.

Application filed October 23, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that MATTHEW ToWNsEND, deceased, did invent an Improvement in Knitting-Machines for Manufacturing Fabric for Mattresses, &c., of which I, GEORGE F. SUM- NER, of Canton, in the county of Norfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, administrator of the estate of said MATTHEW ToWNsEND, deceased, delare the following to be a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention has for its object the following-described improvements in machines for manufacturing fabrics for mattresses, 850.

The application of Matthew Townsend, filed June 28, 1878, shows, describes, and claims a mattress, &c., as the fabric manufactured by this machine. I therefore make no claim to it herein.

The mechanism is an improvement upon what is known as the double-bar knittingmachine.

Referenceis made to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining the nature of the invention, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on the line as .r of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail View, representing the method of operating the guide-bars. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent various positions of the guide-bars in relation to the needles as the fabric is being formed.

The needles (1 are arranged in two lines, A A upon the needle-bars A A parallel to each other. These bars are given a vertical reciprocating-movement alternately at predetermined intervals by means of the eccentrics a and a upon the shaft a These eccentrics impart to the needle-bar A the said movement by means of connecting mechanism consisting of the links a which connect the eccentrics with the ends of the levers a, the levers a pivoted at a, and the links a, connecting the opposite ends of the levers with the needle-bar. The eccentrics impart said vertical reciprocating movement to the needle-bar A by means of connecting mechanism consisting of the links a and links a, the latter connecting the needle-bar A with thelevers a at a point between the fulcrum a and the ends of the links a There are three guide-bars employed for presenting the threads to the needles in the manufacture of the fabric, one guide-bar for feeding the threads to each set of needles, and another guide-bar which carries threads from one set of needles to the other, and consequently there are three lines or sections of thread employed.

13 represents the guide-bar, used for feeding one division of threads to the line of needles A upon the needle-bar A. B is the guidebar for feeding another division of threads to the line of needles A upon the needle-bar A.

B is the guide-bar for carrying from one row of needles to the other the remaining division, known as the tie-threads.

The guide-bar B is supported by the arms I), which depend from a rod, 1), extending lengthwise of the machine, and said guide-bar should have imparted thereto a slight lateral movement on said rod, for the purposes hereinafter explained, and an oscillating or swinging movement in relation to the row of needles A which is produced by means of thelever 7 5 b link b yokebfiandcam 12 upon the shaft a The guide-bar B is parallel to the bar B, and is supported upon the rod 12 by the arms b, in which it has a lateral movement, and there is imparted to it an oscillating or swing- 8o ing movement in relation to the row of needles A by means of the lever b link I), yoke 11, and cam b upon the shaft a The guide-bar B is parallel to the bars B B, and is supported by the arms b upon the rod 1), extending from end to end of the machine, and is given a slight lateral movement therein and a swinging or oscillating movement by means of the lever b and link I), the lower end of which forms a yoke and embraces 0 the shaft a and the cam b.

The guide-bars are each given alateral movement in their supporting-arms at the proper moment, which is, of course, determined by the nature of the stitch required by the pat- 9 5 terns 0 upon the short shaft 0, the lever c, pivoted at c to a standard projecting upwardly from the frame of the machine, and the connesting-rod c, there being a separate pattern and connecting mechanism for each guide-bar.

Thus far the mechanism described (with the exception of the guidebar It) is well known in the arts, and it would seem hardly necessary to further explain its operation and the specific movements which are given the guide bars in relation to the needles in knitting the sides which comprise a part of this form, it be ing suflicient to say that the guidebars l 1; are given such movements by their operating cams and patterns as to cause them to prop erly feed and present thethreadsforming each side of the fabric to the needles, the stitch be ing the ordinary loop stitch, in which the threads are passed from one needle to the next to loop with the tnesh ot' the second one, and then back again, as in the ordinary knitting machines.

The filling, which is introduced at certain in tervals between the sides of the fabric, is held therein by the tic-threads, which are passed from one row of the needles to the other by the guide-bar B and for that purpose, after each strand offilling is laid lengthwise ot' the machine or between the sides of the fabric, said guide-bar is given a. movement from one side of the machine from a position nearly over one row of the needles across to the other row of needles, and supplies its thread in unison with the guide-bar that is then feeding, inorder that two loops may be formed upon each needle instead of one, and then it is moved back again to its original position, and it is then moved with the other guide-bar in a direction to cause its threads to be looped with the threads of the latter guidebar upon the other row of the needles. the central guide-bar is similar in every respect to that given the other guide-bars, l3 and B, with the exception that it carries the threads from one row of needles to the other instead of working in connection with one set only. Its movements are controlled by the shape of its operating cam and pattern.

For the purpose of automatically feeding the filling between the side surfaces, a carrier, D, is arranged to slide upon the rods (I, and it; is given a reciprocating, movement be tween the ends of the machine from one edge of the fabric to the otherin any desirable way, but; preferably by meansof the lever 41, which is pivoted at d to the bracket 11 depending from the bar d, and forming a portion of the framework of the machine, and the pulleys 11" d arranged one at each end of the lever, and the pulleys (II and 11", each of which is suitably supported upon opposite sides of the upper portion of the machine, and two cords, d and d, the cord d being fastened to the post d at one end and to the carrier 1) at the other, passing over the pulleys (1 and (F, and the cord 01 being fastened to the post 1!" at one end and to the carrier 1) at the other, and passing over the pulleys d and d".

This movement of The lever 11 has imparted to it a rocking movement at given intervals by means of the cam 11, lever d, pivoted at, d to a bracket, 11", and connecting-link (1",Whi0h lays holdot' an arm proiecting downwardly from the lever.

Upon the downward movement of one end ot" the lever, the cord, which, in passing from the carrier to a titted point, runs under the pulley upon that end of said lever, is drawn dmvnwardly. thereby moving the carrier D upon the rods d toward that; end of the machine. The other end of the lever is, of course, elevated at the same time, thereby allowing the cord at that end of the machine which passes under the pulley on that end of the lever, and which also is attached to the carrier and to a fixed point, to be drawn along by the carrier. Upon a reverse movement of the lever thtulownward movementofthepulley upon its descending end draws the last-named cord, which passes under it, and thereby moves the carrier 1) upon the rods it toward that end of the lever, or in a reverse direction from that; first given it, and the other end of the lever. which previously operated it, is elevated and allows the carrier to draw back the cord first mentioned in its reverse movement to its original position.

The filling is held in a can or other suitable receptacle, or carried on a roll or spindle, and passes through the carrier D, and is fed by it between the sides of the fabric as they are bein g formed. ()f courseit is necessary that the feeding movement should cease after each throw of the carrier, in order that the next sec tion of the sides maybe t'0rmed,and the layer of iillingpreviously fed be fastened in position by the tie-threads, which are carried across and looped to the sides.

The shaft 0, carrying the cams and patterns, is revolved by means of the bevelgear 6 upon the end of the shaft a the bevel-gear e upon the vertical shaft 0 which meshes with the bevel-gear c, and the bevel-gear e, which en' gages with the bevel-gear e upon the end of the shaft 0.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The threads having been brought down from their rolls or spindles through their respective guides and properly secured, the process of forming the sides is begun. This only involves the simple movements of the outer-guide-bars in relation to the vertically-reciprocating needies, which 1 have before explained. The strand or layer of filling is then fed between the two sides, and the tie-threads carried across from one row of needles to the other by the guidebar B; and the various positions, respectively, occupied by this guide-bar in carrying the tie-threads are shown in Figs. 5, 7, 8, and 9.

In Fig. 5 the tie-threads are represented as having been passed through the loop which has been shed by the needle, and the guidebar is on its backward movement.

In Fig. 7 the tic-threads are represented as drawn down by the needles on the bar A, and

carrier, or while the filling is being fed. Of

course any number of tie-threads may be used. It is unnecessary to have as many tie-threads as side threads.

When desirable for the purpose of making a fabric very suitable for carpet-linings, and

which is described in the before-named application, the outer guide-bars may be dispensed with, and the remaining guide-bar and the two rows of needles used in connection with the reciprocating carrier D.

The filling employed in making mattresses may be of any suitable soft, flexible, and elastic material. I prefer cotton-wool. It cannot easily be fed, however, by the carrier unless a string or thread has previously been incorporated or united with it, as the strand without the string would be too fragile to support its own weight and the tension, but with the string it can be sucoessfullyfed; and in this connection I would state that it is desirable to have as little friction as possible in the carrier, and I therefore may provide the same with anti-friction rolls, between which the filling shall pass, each being used in the movement of the carrier in one direction only.

The needles are secured to the needle-bar in any desirable way, and the guide-bars are provided with thread-carriers (one for each needle) of any ordinary construction.

The method of feeding the cotton-wool by means of a string I do not claim, as the invention was made by Mr. Geo. F. Sumner, of Canton, Massachusetts.

The product of the machine constitutes a new article of manufacture, and is very desirable for use in upholstery and for stair-pads, carpet, and other linings, bats, &c., the especial excellence of the fabric consisting in its elasticity.

It will be observed that the filling is secured to the sides in successive layers, each one of which is entirely separate and distinct from the adjacent ones, and that it is so confined between the two surfaces by the tie-threads that it is practically impossible for the filling to become consolidated or lose its elasticity; but, as before remarked, said fabric forms the subject of a separate application by the present inventor.

Having thus fully described the invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a machine for manufacturing mattresses and other like fabrics, the combination of two rows of reciprocating needles and mechanism for operating the same with the guidebars B B B and mechanism for imparting thereto the movements described with relation to the needles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for the manufacture of mattresses and other like fabrics, the combination of two rows, A A of reciprocating needles and mechanism for operating the same with the guide-bars B B B and mechanism forimparting thereto the movements described with relation to the needles, the carrier D, and mechanism for operating the same, whereby the threads for the formation of the sides of the fabric and the tie-threads are supplied to the needles and the filling fed between the sides of the fabric, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In combination with the needle-bars A A and two rows of needles, A A and mechanism for imparting a reciprocating vertical movement to the same, a guide-bar, B and mechanism for operating the same, as and for the purpose specified, the carrier D, and mechanism for imparting a traversing movement thereto parallel with and between the lines of needles and in close proximity thereto, substantially as and for the purposes described.

GEO. FREDK. SUMNER, Administrator of the estate of Matthew Townsend.

Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, A. J. ()ETTINGER. 

